myBrainshark Tracking and Technology Saves the Day

It all started with a conference; the first of it’s kind here in the depressed Central Valley of CA. Some say we produce a fifth of the world’s produce here in the Valley, but the threat of water scarcity doesn’t end with local growers. So with the help of some friends, the Water, Energy & Technology Incubator put on a water conference focused on international solutions to regional issues. Wanting to gain feedback and learn about the audience experience, we decided to create a survey.

The threat came a week later when the results were in: One of my bosses suggested I present the results to the group during our next meeting. Just the thought made me nauseous and anxious. I hung up the phone and sighed. I knew it was a “professional development opportunity” but I needed a baby step first.

In April of this year, I attended a conference as a part of my masters degree program. My favorite panel was focused on qualitative research and how to present said research to executives. The panels used Ignite so they were all limited to 5 min presentations. Of course, being the “Google” generation, I was most excited about hearing from Brian Welle, a panelist from Google. He briefly mentioned myBrainshark as a tool to use. I wrote it down and made a note to look at it later.

Pressed to find alternatives to speaking in front of a large group, I pulled out my conference materials and recalled my favorite panel discussion. I remembered the name Brainshark because it was so unique and decided to research it. I was pleased to find the website user friendly, simple and attractive. I immediately signed up and added my PowerPoint presentation. Adding the audio was remarkably easy (although I was still nervous about hearing my voice and sounding silly). I took a deep breath of confidence and went for it. From my initial search to the time I sent out the presentation took 37 minutes – talk about ROI!

My favorite part (hello data geek!) was being able to track those who opened the presentation! I could see how many slides did they got through, which device they were using, and how many times they viewed my presentation.

Two weeks later the CEO of our company (who viewed the presentation the most according to my free stats) told me how much he liked my presentation. Being a serial entrepreneur with a mind for technology, he was surprised that he hadn’t heard of it. He said he forwarded my presentation to his colleagues in his other businesses and now everyone is using it and loves it! Added bonus – he wasn’t aware of the analytics! He was surprised when I told him what devices he had opened my presentation on, how many times he viewed it and how many slides he got through….all for free.

Thanks Brainshark for challenging me to do something new and for making me look great in front of the CEO!